Like A Rock (A Daddy's Faith)

Like a Rock

Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman Mark 5

21 When Jesus had again crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him while he was by the lake. 22 Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 23 He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.” 24 So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28 because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29 Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30 At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31 “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32 But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

35 While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?”

36 Overhearing[c] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him.

After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43 He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

Like a Rock- Bob Seger

Like a rock. standin' arrow straight

Like a rock, chargin' from the gate

Like a rock, carryin' the weight

Like a rock

A Father’s Faith Unleashed

Jairus was a Synagogue Leader-in effect, he was the equivalent of a modern day pastor. He ran the services, arranged the schools, coordinated the activities of a local synagogue. He was a well respected man in the Jewish community. This meant that he was by definition a natural enemy of this man that the Jews by and large mistrusted and called a blasphemer.

We don’t know where he stood before, but we see where his faith led him. Jairus was drawn to the feet of Jesus.

“that he should come to him when his child was past all hope of recovery; yea, when he had reason to believe she was actually dead, as she was; that even then, he should believe in hope against hope; he affirms, that he really believed, that if Christ would but come to his house, and lay his hand upon her, an action often used in grave and serious matters, as in blessing persons, in prayer, and in healing diseases, she would certainly be restored to life again. (Gill)”

Fathers, have you ever watched your children suffer? It does something to you, deep in your soul. It is the most frustrating thing in the world to not be able to help your child. You would take their illness for them in a second if it were possible. You would give anything, do anything to see them relieved of suffering. I remember a couple of times over their lives when my kids were sick and I remember the empty, gut-wrenching pain of watching them suffer, helpless to do anything at all about it.

It’s doubtful if Jairus had come to the point of recognizing Jesus as Messiah, but he had witnessed enough to know that Jesus had the power of God upon him. He had surely seen and heard about his works both in Capernaum and in all the surrounding towns. His faith had begun to build and he realized Jesus was more than just a man.